Beyoncé’s fanbase, better known as the Beyhive, made sure that no fan was left behind after helping a die-hard Yoncé supporter make it to her recent tour stop in Dallas, Texas.
An Oregan man named Jon Hetherington initially had plans to attend the “Crazy In Love” singer’s show at the Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington, as a part of her Renaissance World Tour. However, his plans fell short once an airline informed him that his wheelchair was too big to fit on the plane.
Hetherington suffers from cerebral palsy which has confined him to the manually operated device. But he’s always dreamed of seeing Beyoncé in concert.
“Well, guess I’m not going to Seattle and I’m not seeing Beyoncé,” Hetherington said in a TikTok about the disheartening circumstance on Thursday, Sept. 14.
“Got to the airport to take my flight and they tell me that my chair is apparently four inches too tall to be loaded onto the plane.”
He said the airline “checked every possible flight, every airline,” but there were no accommodations that would allow him to make it to Seattle in time to see the “Singles Ladies” singer.
“So, after 25 years of waiting, I’m not seeing Beyoncé,” Hetherington shared before ending his video, stating “Ableism wins again.”
However, ableism didn’t stop more than 90,000 viewers from seeing his video and tagging Beyoncé to notify her of Hetherington’s situation. After his video went viral online, supporters noticed that the multifaceted artist’s long-time publicist, Yvette Noel-Schure, started following him on social media.
“I expected maybe a couple hundred people will see it,” Hetherington told Seattle outlet KOMO News. “And that would be it.”
With only five shows left in the tour, several social media users made it their mission to help Hetherington see Beyoncé and on Thursday, Sept. 21, that’s exactly what happened.
The 34-year-old recently informed his newfound supporters that he was able to see Beyoncé live while she was at the AT&T Stadium for the first show of her two-day Texas stop. It was revealed that Hetherington had been personally invited “by Beyoncé” to her sold-out show.
“For the past, for Marsha, James, and Beyard,” he captioned the photo that featured him at the concert. “For the present, for O’Shae. For those who are becoming in a time that has yet to exist. We partied, we sang, we danced… HARD. Beyhive, you made this happen, you pushed and tagged like the internet has never seen.”
Hetherington continued, “Tonight, for the first time ever, I had a seat on the floor for a concert. Welcome to RENAISSANCE. #beyonce #rwt2023.”
In addition to obtaining a floor seat, Heatherington also had the pleasure of meeting the mother of three as well as Tina Knowles while he was backstage.
After sharing a selfie with Momma Tina on Instagram, Hetherington described meeting her as an “honor” and expressed gratitude “for all you’ve done and given the world.”
His photo with Beyoncé showed them holding each other’s arms as the superstar smiled at her devoted fan. “Long live the Queen! Forever shall she reign,” his caption read.
While this story had a happy ending, Hetherington told KOMO News that there’s still more work that needs to be done for people with disabilities.
He shared, “I want there to be awareness and there needs to be fundamental change in terms of access to things.”
Come Saturday, Sept. 23, Beyoncé will be performing in her hometown, Houston, Texas, as the final stop of her Texas leg. It was also reported that her fellow Texas native and Houston hottie Megan Thee Stallion might make an appearance during her show.
After that stop, Beyoncé will be heading to New Orleans, Louisiana, and then finally close the tour out at Kansas City, Missouri, on October 1st.
